Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Slanted SurveysI just received two opinion surveys in the mail: one from the Democratic National Committee, the other from the Howard Dean campaign. Both are sleazy attempts to elicit the desired response supporting a particular agenda; neither one offers me the answers that I'd like to give.

For example, this question from Dean:

Health Care Policy should:

Remain unchanged.

Not be considered a guarantee for any group in the country.

Be developed to guarantee coverage for all age groups, through a mixture of private and public funding.

Unsure.

How about a single-payer government health care program like the civilized world has, Howie? You claim that that couldn't pass--how will you know if you don't even let us tell you? I'm not "unsure;" I'm just sure that you're not offering me the best choice. On pretty much every question he offers only "Unsure" as a default choice--not "None of the above" or "Something else (describe)." He's not looking for input, just for approval of his very soft positions. On energy use, his only two choices are renewable sources or non-renewable choices--he doesn't mention the best choice, conservation by using less energy.

The DNC similarly limits choices. Nowhere does it mention universal health care or repealing NAFTA and the WTO.